Dynamic routing for a telephone conference call

ABSTRACT

A method and system are disclosed to provide a conference among conference participants over a communication network. A routing system receives conference utilization data from a plurality of conference systems. The routing system receives a request to join the conference from one of the conference participants. The routing system processes the conference utilization data in response to the request to select one of the conference systems. The one conference system joins the one participant to the conference in response to the selection of the one conference system.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/463,625; entitled “DYNAMIC ROUTING FOR A TELEPHONECONFERENCE CALL;” filed on May 13, 2003; and which is herebyincorporated by reference into this Patent Application.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable

MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention is related to the field of communications, and inparticular, to telephone conference calls.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Telephone conference calls allow telephone conversations between threeor more persons. A telephone conference call, or teleconference, istypically performed by a telephone system device called a bridge. Thebridge joins together multiple participants to enable groupcommunication. In order to join the teleconference, each participant istypically given a pre-assigned telephone number to call. In the priorart, the pre-assigned number is statically assigned to theteleconference before the teleconference actually occurs, and may beassigned days in advance. When the participant dials in, the telephonesystem receives the pre-assigned bridge telephone number and may ask theparticipant for a password or personal identification number (PINT). Theparticipant is then connected to a corresponding conference bridge by atelephone system and may join a conference.

In the prior art, teleconference bridging is commonly performed throughbridge facilities. Typically, such bridge facilities are located invarious geographic areas, and can handle large numbers of incomingconference calls. Each bridge facility can contain multiple bridges andadditionally can contain a routing device, including a Voice ResponseUnit (VRU) and processor. A call coming into the bridge facility isrouted to a particular bridge in the bridge facility by the routingdevice.

However, the prior art static bridging approach has several drawbacks.Due to the popularity of telephone conferencing, many people may beparticipating at any time. If load changes occur, the bridge facilityhas to perform some manner of load balancing. Some examples of loadchanges are when participants drop out of a teleconference, whenunexpected participants join a teleconference, when a technical problemoccurs in any part of the bridging system, etc. The prior art attemptsto avoid load balancing by under-utilizing bridges, i.e., each bridge ina bridge facility is typically not fully loaded. For example, eachbridge in a prior art bridge facility is typically loaded to only about60% of capacity in order to allow for unforeseen load changes.

FIG. 1 shows a telephone system performing a prior art load balancing.In this example, a first bridge facility 101 needs to transfer someconference call traffic to a second bridge facility 102. The prior artload balancing is accomplished by the first bridge facility 101 linkingto the second bridge facility 102 and passing some conference calls tothe second bridge facility 102. The circuits 103 from the callers to thefirst bridge facility 101 are maintained, and are linked to the secondbridge facility 102 via additional telephone circuits 104, as shown. Theprior art load balancing approach therefore ties up the additionalcircuits 104. In addition, the prior art load balancing approach occursonly after a traffic problem has occurred, and does not prevent loadingproblems. Geographic load balancing, wherein a bridge facility isselected according to the location of the caller and the bridge, is notachieved. Furthermore, the prior art requires computationally expensiveVRU technology at a bridge facility. Moreover, the routing device andthe VRU are unnecessarily duplicated in each bridge facility.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Examples of the invention include a method and system of providing aconference among conference participants over a communication network. Arouting system receives conference utilization data from a plurality ofconference systems. The routing system receives a request to join theconference from one of the conference participants. The routing systemprocesses the conference utilization data in response to the request toselect one of the conference systems. The one conference system joinsthe one participant to the conference in response to the selection ofthe one conference system.

In some examples of the invention, the conference utilization dataindicates current utilization of the conference systems.

In some examples of the invention, the conference utilization dataindicates unused capacity of the conference systems.

In some examples of the invention, processing the conference utilizationdata to select the one conference system comprises load balancing amongthe conference systems.

In some examples of the invention, the conference was assigned aconference identifier during a conference registration occurring beforethe request to join the conference, and wherein the request to join theconference indicates the conference identifier.

In some examples of the invention, the routing system determines ageographic location of the one conference participant in response to therequest.

In some examples of the invention, the routing system processes thegeographic location of the one conference participant to select the oneconference system.

In some examples of the invention, the one conference participantcomprises a conference host.

In some examples of the invention, the routing system determinesgeographic locations of the conference systems, and in response to therequest, determines a geographic location of the one conferenceparticipant and processes the geographic locations of the conferencesystems and the one conference participant to select the one conferencesystem.

In some examples of the invention, the routing system determinesgeographic locations of the conference systems and the conferenceparticipants, and in response to the requests processes the geographiclocations of the conference systems and the conference participants toselect the one conference system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The same reference number represents the same element on all drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a telephone system performing, a prior art load balancing;

FIG. 2 shows a communication system according to an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 3D is a flowchart that illustrates a method of dynamically routingan incoming conference call to a selected conference system according toan embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 shows detail of a routing system according to an embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 5 is flowchart that illustrates a method of dynamically routing anincoming conference call to a selected conference system according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart that illustrates a method of dynamically routingan incoming conference call to a selected conference system according toan embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a diagram of a communication system according to an embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 8 is a corresponding message flow-diagram that illustrates adynamic routing operation according to the embodiment of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a diagram of a communication system according to anotherembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a corresponding message flow diagram that illustrates adynamic routing operation according to the embodiment of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a diagram of a communication system according to anotherembodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 12 is a corresponding message flow diagram that illustrates adynamic routing operation according to the embodiment of FIG. 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIGS. 2-12 and the following descriptions depict specific embodiments toteach those skilled in the art how to make and use the best mode of theinvention. For the purpose of teaching inventive principles, someconventional aspects have been simplified or omitted. Those skilled inthe art will appreciate variations from these embodiments that fallwithin the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will alsoappreciate that the features described below can be combined in variousways to form multiple variations of the invention. As a result, theinvention is not limited to the specific embodiments described below,but only by the claims and their equivalents.

FIG. 2 shows a communication system 200 according to an embodiment ofthe invention. The communication system 200 includes a communicationsystem 202, a routing system 204, and a plurality of conference systems205, 206, etc. In operation, multiple callers 201 can be dynamicallyrouted and connected to a particular conference system through thecommunication system 202 using the routing system 204. The dynamicrouting according to the invention is enabled and performed by therouting system 204.

The communication system 202 can comprise any manner of telephonecommunication network. The communication system 202 can include anymanner of telephone wire, cable, optical fiber, etc., and any number ofswitches, routing devices, etc. The communication system 202 cancomprise all or part of a communication network. In addition, thecommunication system 202 can include any manner of satellite or cellulartelephone communication system. In one embodiment, the communicationsystem 202 comprises a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) 202 (seeFIGS. 7, 9, and 11).

The conference systems 205, 206, etc., may be any type of telephoneconference systems. In one embodiment, a conference system comprises atelephone conference bridge. The conference systems may be situated atvarious geographic locations. In one embodiment, the conference systems205, 206, etc., are located in a bridge facility (not shown).

The routing system 204 communicates with the conference systems 205,206, etc., and receives utilization statistics therefrom. Theutilization statistics for each conference system can include aconference system identifier, a conference system geographic locationcode, and a conference system capacity, for example. In addition, theutilization statistics can include a conference system utilization thatindicates a currently used capacity or a currently unused capacity forthe particular conference system.

The routing system 204 according to the invention participates in therouting function and provides a dynamic routing for a conference call.In some embodiments, the routing system 204 interacts with a RemoteProcessor (RP) to accomplish the dynamic routing (see FIGS. 7, 9, and 11and the accompanying discussions). Consequently, in such embodiments,the routing system 204 is configured to modify routing tables or otherdata structures within the RP. In other embodiments, the routing system204 interacts with other components of the communication system 202 inorder to achieve the dynamic routing (see FIG. 7). The routing system204 therefore can perform dynamic routing based on current conditionsand current utilizations of the various conference systems. In addition,the routing system 204 can perform load balancing and can furtherperform geographic load balancing, as will be discussed further below.

The routing system 204 can be an independent component, as shown, oralternatively can be integrated into one of the components of thecommunication system 202. For example, the routing system 204 can beintegrated into the RP.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart 300 that illustrates a method of dynamicallyrouting an incoming conference call to a selected telephone conferencesystem according to an embodiment of the invention. In step 301, aconference call and conference identifier are received. Any telephonecall coming through the communication system 202 will include certaininformation, such as the caller number (i.e., the telephone number ofthe telephone used to make the call), and the destination number. Inaddition to the caller number and the destination number, the incomingconference call includes a conference identifier that is entered by theincoming caller, such as an account number, pin number, etc. When aconference initiator registers for the conference call, a conferenceidentifier is typically assigned to the telephone conference and isgiven to the conference initiator. The conference initiator relays theconference identifier to all participants. Therefore, any conferenceparticipant desiring to join the conference can supply the number and bejoined to a new or ongoing, telephone conference. The conferenceidentifier may be interactively obtained from the caller 201 (see FIG. 7and the accompanying discussion).

The destination number may be a number unrelated to a specificconference system, such as a 1-800 or 1-900 number (i.e.,1-888-xxx-xxxx), for example. In this embodiment, the 1-800 or 1-900number is intercepted by the communication system 202 and is used toconsult the routing system 204. The routing system 204 dynamicallyidentifies and selects the ultimate destination conference systemtelephone number.

Alternatively, the destination number may be anumber of a specifictelephone conference system, wherein the routing system 204 interceptsthe call and dynamically reroutes the call to a new conference system,regardless of the previous assignment of a conference system.

In step 302 the communication system 202 determines the geographiccaller location.

This may be accomplished using, the caller's telephone number, such asthrough an Automatic Number Identification (ANI) system, for example.Alternatively, this function can be performed by the routing system 204,wherein a caller number can be correlated to a physical location throughsome manner of table or data structure. In another alternative, thegeographic caller location can be provided by the calling, telephonedevice if the calling telephone device includes a positioningcapability, such as a satellite positioning receiver, for example.

In step 303, a conference system is selected for the incoming conferencecall. The selection can be based on the geographic caller location, thegeographic conference system location, or a combination of caller andconference system locations. The selection may be based on locations ofone or more callers, may include a large area containing all thecallers, or may be restricted to an area of a majority or a certainnumber of the callers. The geographic caller location can correspond tothe location of the conference host/initiator or can correspond to thefirst person to call in to the conference. Therefore, for example, ifthe telephone conference call includes callers from multiple locationssuch as different sites around a particular city, the whole city may beviewed as the geographic caller location. Alternatively, a county orstate or other geographic area may be the geographic caller location. Inanother alternative, the geographic selection is based on the firstcaller to call in to the conference call. In this manner, the dynamicrouting according to the invention can geographically select aconference system based on the geographic location of some or all of theconference callers. This has the advantage of minimizing the telephonelines needed in order to conduct a conference call, i.e., it would makesense to select a conference system in California if the participantsare in California. This is in contrast to the prior art, wherein thegeographic location of the callers and the conference system are nottaken into account. As a result, in the prior art the conferenceparticipants are often linked across large distances.

Alternatively, in another example, the caller and the conference systemare both in New York, but the conference system is 80% loaded, while asuitable conference system in Miami is only 60% loaded. The caller canbe routed to the Miami conference system according to the invention,thereby balancing the load. The invention allows a communication systemcarrier to accept an additional trunking cost in order to keep theconference participants in-system and avoid having to transfer or linkto another communication carrier, such as a carrier having an availableconference system in New York.

In step 304, the incoming conference call is routed to the selectedconference system. The routing for a first conference call participantcan be subsequently used for all of the rest of the conferenceparticipants. The subsequent routing uses the conference identifier,i.e., the conference identifier is associated with the conference systemin the routing system 204.

FIG. 4 shows detail of the routing system 204 according to an embodimentof the invention. The routing system 204 includes a communicationinterface 405 (such as an RP interface), a conference system interface406, and a processing system 407. The processing system 407 may includea storage system 408. The processing system 407 is connected to both thecommunication interface 405 and the conference system interface 406.

The communication interface 405 can comprise any device capable ofcommunicating with the communication system 202 or devices incommunication with the communication system 202 (see FIG. 2). Thecommunication interface 405 can include a modem, a network card, etc.Likewise, the conference system interface 406 can comprise any devicecapable of communicating with the conference systems 205, 206, etc., andcan include a modem, a network card, etc. In one embodiment, thecommunication interface 405 and the conference system interface 406comprise a single communication interface configured to communicate withboth the communication system 202 and the conference systems 205, 206,etc.

In operation, the processing system 407 receives utilization statisticsfrom the conference systems 205, 206, etc., through the conferencesystem interface 406. The routing system 204 therefore can perform adynamic routing operation by obtaining utilization statistics anddynamically providing routing information to the communication system202.

The storage system 408 can store data and software routines. The storagesystem 408 can store utilization statistics 410, a routing algorithm411, a RP programming routine 412, a called conference system number413, a geographic caller location 414, and a caller number(s) 415, forexample. Other variables can be stored as necessary.

The utilization statistics 410, as previously discussed, can includeconference system identifiers, geographic conference system locationcodes, and a conference system capacity and/or system utilization foreach conference system. Therefore, each entry of the utilizationstatistics 410 includes information about a particular conference systemthat can be recalled and used for dynamic routing. In one embodiment,the utilization statistics 410 are stored as a data table, althoughother data structures can be employed.

The routing algorithm 411 processes the utilization statistics 410 andthe geographic caller location 414 in order to produce routinginformation that determines a routing to a selected conference system.The routing algorithm 411 therefore performs a dynamic routing, whereinthe routing is determined at the time the conference call is initiated(and not beforehand, as in the prior art).

The routing algorithm 411 further performs load balancing, wherein therouting algorithm 411 employs the utilization statistics 410 in order toselect conference systems having a low level of utilization overconference systems having a high level of utilization. Furthermore, therouting algorithm 411 performs geographic load balancing, wherein therouting algorithm 411 selects a conference system based on both autilization level and a geographic location. In this manner, the routingalgorithm 411 can select an optimally loaded conference system that isgeographically most desirable.

The RP programming routine 412 is a routine for programming variables inthe RP. The RP programming routine 412 receives the routing informationfrom the routing algorithm 411 and programs it into the RP. As a result,the routing system 204 can modify the RP at any time and can dynamicallyupdate routing information stored in the RP.

The caller number 415 stores the number of an incoming conferencecaller(s). The routing algorithm 411 can subsequently access the callernumber 415 in order to perform the geographic load balancing. In oneembodiment, the caller number 415 can include a geographic location ofthe caller.

FIG. 5 is flowchart 500 that illustrates a method of dynamically routingan incoming, conference call to a selected telephone conference systemaccording to an embodiment of the invention. In step 501, a conferencecall and a conference identifier are received, as previously discussed.The conference identifier is used to join all callers to a particularconference, and therefore may be associated with a conference systemthat is selected according to the method.

In step 502, the conference identifier is processed with the utilizationstatistics to select a conference system 205, 206, etc., and generatethe routing information.

In step 503, the conference call is routed to the conference systemselected by the routing, system 204. In one embodiment, this includesprogramming the RP with the routing information. The routing informationtherefore directs the RP to provide routing to the selected conferencesystem. The routing, information can be transferred to the RP forprogramming via a landline or wireless telephone link, or via a packetnetwork, such as a local-area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN),a virtual private network (VPN), or the Internet, for example.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart 600 that illustrates a method of dynamicallyrouting an incoming conference call to a selected telephone conferencesystem according, to an embodiment of the invention. In step 601, aconference call and a conference identifier are received, as previouslydiscussed.

In step 602, the geographic caller location is determined, as previouslydiscussed. This may be through use of an automatic number identification(ANI) system or through a table or other data structure that relates acaller to a location.

In step 603, the conference identifier, the geographic caller location,and the utilization statistics are processed to select a conferencesystem, as previously discussed. The utilization statistics can includea geographic conference system location code. The utilization statisticsin one embodiment are periodically or intermittently received, while inanother embodiment the utilization statistics are requested as needed,such as when a conference call is starting. In one embodiment,utilization statistics for a particular conference system aretransmitted by the conference system upon a change in a utilizationlevel of the conference system. It should be understood that theutilization statistics for individual conference systems are notconstrained to be received simultaneously. The utilization statisticscan be transferred from the conference systems to the conference RP 721over a landline or wireless telephone link, or can be transferred over apacket network link, such as a local-area network (LAN), a wide areanetwork, (WAN), a virtual privates network (VPN), or the Internet, for,example.

In step 604, the conference call is routed to the conference system thatis selected by the routing system 204. In one embodiment, this includesprogramming the RP with the routing, information, as previouslydiscussed. In this embodiment, the dynamic routing according to theinvention performs both dynamic routing and geographic load balancing.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of a communication system 700 according to anembodiment of the invention. The communication system 700 includes aPSTN 202, a service control point 720, an RP 703, a conference RP 721,and a plurality of telephone conference bridges 205, 206, etc. The PSTN202 can include, among other things, a plurality of switches 722-724 anda voice response unit (VRU) 725. The VRU 725 can be used to interactwith the caller 201 and receive information such as the conferenceidentifier, etc. It should be understood that the embodiment shown isjust one configuration and there are other network configurations can beemployed. The embodiment shown is provided in conjunction with themessage flow diagram of FIG. 8 in order to illustrate in detail how thedynamic routing can be accomplished.

The RP 703D performs routing functions for the communication system 202,as is known in the art. The RP 703D can be part of the communicationsystem 202, or may be part of a client facility. For example, the RP 703may be owned by a business or other entity and may be used to routetelephone calls for that entity, including teleconference calls. The RP703 can be programmed on the fly to achieve routing functions, includingprogramming the RP 703 with routing information based on the currentutilization and/or status of the conference systems 205, 206, etc.

The conference RP 721 can comprise a RP provided for dynamic routing.The conference RP 721 can be included in the communication system 700 inaddition to existing RPs, such as the RP 703, and participates in thedynamic conference call routing.

FIG. 8 is a corresponding message flow diagram that illustrates adynamic routing operation according to the embodiment of FIG. 7. Thevarious actions performed to accomplish the dynamic routing are shown asa series of numbered lines. The solid lines represent telephoneconnections, while the dashed lines represent signaling connections thatare used to signal various components and/or to transfer informationbetween systems and components.

Referring to both FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, at arrow 1 the caller 201 calls thePSTN 202. The connection can be achieved through a pre-assignedconference bridge number (i.e., a fixed number corresponding to aphysical bridge), or a 1-800 or 1-900 conference number, for example,that merely connects the caller to the PSTN 202. The caller 201 connectsto a local switch 722, which then at arrow 2 signals the service controlpoint 720. The signal in effect requests routing instructions for theswitch 722 in order to connect the conference call.

At arrow 3, the SCP 720 requests routing information from the RP 703.The SCP 720 and the RP 703 are generally components of the PSTN 202.However, alternatively the RP 703 may be considered to be outside of thePSTN 202 and can be controlled by an outside entity, such as to controlrouting operations. For example, the RP 703 can be programmed andmodified by a corporation or business entity to control call routing forthat entity.

At arrow 4, the RP 703 responds to the SCP 720 with routing,information. In this embodiment, the RP 703 directs the SCP 720 toconnect to a Voice Response Unit (VRU) 725 of the PSTN 202.

At arrow 5, the SCP 720 directs the switch 722 to connect the caller 201to the (VRU) 725 through arrows 6 and 7. This connection is done inorder to initiate an interaction with the caller 201. In one embodiment,the VRU 725 generates an audio message that instructs the caller 201 toenter a conference identifier number. Therefore, during the interactionthe VRU 725 requests and receives a conference identifier from thecaller 201.

At arrow 8, the VRU 725 transfers the conference identifier (and anyother conference information) back to the SCP 720 through the switch723. Alternatively, in some embodiments the VRU 725 can communicate theinformation directly to the SCP 720 (not shown). In addition, the VRU725 can provide correlation data to the SCP 720, such as a verificationof the identity of the caller. It can be seen that more than one switchmay be used to communicate with the VRU 725, such as connecting througha switch 723D that is local to the VRU 725. The VRU 725 therefore may beany one of a number of network VRUs and the RP 703D can select a VRU tobe used. It should be understood that arrows 7 and 8 represent an actualconnection of the caller 201 to the network VRU 725. However, theconnection to the VRU 725 may be dropped after the conferenceinformation is obtained and may comprise temporary connections.

At arrow 9, the conference RP 721 receives utilization statistics fromthe conference bridges 205, 206, etc. As previously discussed, theutilization statistics can be received on request by the conference RP721 or upon the initiative of a conference bridge.

At arrow 10, the SCP 720 provides the conference identifier to theconference RP 721. In addition, the SCP 720 may provides the callertelephone number and a geographic caller location to the conference RP721.

At arrow 11, the conference RP 721 can optionally provide the conferenceidentifier to the conference bridges 205, 206, etc., or can provide itonly to an intended bridge selected for the dynamic routing (i.e.,provides it to the selected bridge 206 in the example shown).

At arrow 12, the conference RP 721 provides the routing information tothe SCP 720.

At arrow 13, the SCP 720 provides the routing information to the PSTN202, such as through the switch 723, for example (shown). It should beunderstood that the routing information can be transmitted over otherpaths, such as through switch 722 and then through switches 723 and 724.The PSTN 202 relays the routing information to appropriate switches.Subsequently, at arrows 14 and 15, the caller 201 is connected to theselected bridge 206. It should be noted that the switches 722 through724 shown merely for illustration and different numbers or locations ofthe switches may be actually required in order to complete theteleconference call.

FIG. 9 is a diagram of the communication system 700 according to anotherembodiment of the invention, while FIG. 10 is a corresponding messageflow diagram that illustrates a dynamic routing operation according tothe embodiment of FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is similar to FIG. 7 except that in theembodiment of FIG. 9 the conference RP 721 does not communicate directlywith the SCP 720. The difference can be seen in the message flow of FIG.10, wherein arrows 1-9 are identical to those in FIG. 8 and will not bediscussed.

At arrow 10 of FIG. 10, the SCP 720 again requests routing information,but in this embodiment the SCP 720 males the request to the RP 703. Thisenables the SCP 720 to operate in the invention without need formodification. The request can include the conference identifier obtainedthrough the VRU 725.

At arrow 11, the RP 703 notifies the conference RP 721 of the routingrequest, and passes the conference identifier to the conference RP 721.The conference RP 721 can subsequently generate the routing informationand therefore participate in the dynamic routing operation.

At arrow 12, as previously discussed, the conference RP 721 canoptionally transmit the conference identifier to a bridge or bridges.

At arrow 13, the conference RP 721 programs the RP 703 with the routinginformation, as previously discussed.

At arrow 14, the RP 703 provides the routing information to the SCP 720based on the routing information programmed into the RP 703.

At arrows 15, 16, and 17, the SCP 720 completes the conference call tothe selected bridge 206, as previously discussed.

FIG. 11 is a diagram of the communication system 700 according to yetanother embodiment of the invention, while FIG. 12 is a correspondingmessage flow diagram that illustrates a dynamic routing operationaccording to the embodiment of FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is similar to FIG. 7except that in the embodiment of FIG. 11 the conference RP 721 receivesthe conference identifier directly from the SCP 720 and programs the RP703 before or concurrently with the routing request being received andacted upon by the RP 703. The difference can be seen in the message flowof FIG. 12, wherein arrows 1-11 and 14-16 are identical to those in FIG.8 and will not be discussed.

At arrow 12 of FIG. 11, the conference RP 721 programs the RP 703 withthe routing information, as previously discussed.

At arrow 13, the SCP 720 requests routing information from the RP 703.

Unlike the prior art, the routing of the invention is dynamic and routesa teleconference when it begins, not at the set-up phase, as in theprior art. The invention performs centralized routing, with the routingoccurring in a telephone network, ahead of any conference systems orbridge facilities. The invention performs routing according to currentconference system conditions, not merely on assigned capacity, as in theprior art. The invention geographically load balances teleconferencesamong conference systems, wherein the routing can take into account thegeographic caller locations and the geographic conference systemslocations, and can minimize distances between callers and conferencesystems. In contrast, the prior art does not route based on currentloading conditions or geographic locations. The prior art does notperform dynamic load balancing. The prior art does not achievecentralized routing.

The dynamic routing according to the invention provides severalbenefits. The dynamic routing is performed in the telephone networkbefore the conference systems or bridge facilities. The dynamic routingtherefore can efficiently perform load balancing between conferencesystems and between bridge facilities. In addition, the inventionachieves a centralized routing, wherein each bridge facility does notneed a duplicative routing apparatus.

Moreover, the dynamic routing according to the invention can preventtraffic problems. The dynamic routing according to the invention routesteleconference participants to conference systems based on currentconference system conditions. The invention does not consume extratelephone circuits or telephone lines in order to shift calls andperform load balancing. The dynamic routing allows geographic bridging,wherein an incoming conference participant can be routed based not onlyon traffic, but on a geographic caller location and on a geographicconference system location.

Another benefit is that the invention enables geographic scaling. Newconference systems and bridge facilities can be constructed atgeographically desirable locations, such as where a large amount ofconference calls occur. The dynamic routing of the invention canintegrate these new conference systems and can geographically routeconference calls so as to minimize the number and physical length of theresulting telephone network connections.

Furthermore, the load balancing according to the invention can beperformed before traffic problems occur. The invention can loadconference systems to a higher level without incurring more trafficproblems. For example, the present invention allows loading ofconference bridges to between 80% and 90% of capacity. In addition, theinvention allows different levels of conference service to beimplemented. For example, a first level of conference service can berouted to conference systems having fairly high loading while a secondlevel of conference service can be routed to conference systems that areloaded at a lower level, therefore decreasing likelihood of problemsduring a telephone conference.

1. A method of providing a conference among conference participants overa communication network, the method comprising: receiving conferenceutilization data from a plurality of conference systems; receiving arequest to join the conference from one of the conference participants;processing the conference utilization data in response to the request toselect one of the conference systems; and in the one conference system,joining the one participant to the conference in response to theselection of the one conference system.
 2. The method of claim 1 whereinthe conference utilization data indicates current utilization of theconference systems.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the conferenceutilization data indicates unused capacity of the conference systems. 4.The method of claim 1 wherein processing the conference utilization datato select the one conference system comprises load balancing among theconference systems.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the conference wasassigned a conference identifier during a conference registrationoccurring before the request to join the conference, and wherein therequest to join the conference indicates the conference identifier. 6.The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a geographiclocation of the one conference participant in response to the request.7. The method of claim 6 further comprising processing the geographiclocation of the one conference participant to select the one conferencesystem.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the one conference participantcomprises a conference host.
 9. The method of claim 1 further comprisingdetermining geo graphic locations of the conference systems, and inresponse to the request, determining a geographic location of the oneconference participant and processing the geographic locations of theconference systems and the one conference participant to select the oneconference system.
 10. The method of claim 1 further comprisingdetermining geographic locations of the conference systems and theconference participants, and in response to the request, processing thegeographic locations of the conference systems and the conferenceparticipants to select the one conference system.
 11. A system toprovide a conference over a communication network among conferenceparticipants, the system comprising: a plurality of conference systemsconfigured to transfer conference utilization data; a routing systemconfigured to receive the conference utilization data, receive a requestto join the conference from one of the conference participants, andprocess the conference utilization data in response to the request toselect one of the conference systems; and wherein the one conferencesystem is configured to join the one participant to the conference inresponse to the selection of the one conference system.
 12. The systemof claim 11 wherein the conference utilization data indicates currentutilization of the conference systems.
 13. The system of claim 11wherein the conference utilization data indicates unused capacity of theconference systems.
 14. The system of claim 11 wherein the routingsystem is configured to select the one conference system to load balanceamong the conference systems.
 15. The method of claim 1 wherein theconference was assigned a conference identifier during a conferenceregistration occurring before the request to join the conference, andwherein the request to join the conference indicates the conferenceidentifier.
 16. The method of claim 1 wherein the routing system isfurther configured to determine a geographic location of the oneconference participant in response to the request.
 17. The method ofclaim 16 wherein the routing system is further configured to process thegeographic location of the one conference participant to select the oneconference system.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein the one conferenceparticipant comprises a conference host.
 19. The method of claim 1wherein the routing system is further configured to determine geographiclocations of the conference systems, and in response to the request,determine a geographic location of the one conference participant andprocess the geographic locations of the conference systems and the oneconference participant to select the one conference system.
 20. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the routing system is further configured todetermine geographic locations of the conference systems and theconference participants, and in response to the request, process thegeographic locations of the conference systems and the conferenceparticipants to select the one conference system.